🎙️ This mom turned a van into a microschool

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💡 THOUGHT

REDEFINING SUCCESS

"So your kid's 18, working at Pizza Hut, sharing an apartment with friends... not living the dream you imagined for them."

Some parents might feel a knot in their stomach imagining this scenario. But what if we're measuring success wrong?

In this week's podcast, Eleyah Knight challenges us to ask different questions:

"Are they happy? Healthy? Self-sufficient? Can they take care of themselves?"

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Her insight cuts to the heart of modern parenting anxiety. We rush children through precious years of discovery, push them toward achievements that look good on applications, and wonder why so many end up questioning their path in their 30s (or ealrier).

"If you focus on a young person's holistic health while they're young," Eleyah explains, "they won't end up with chronic diseases, feeling like 'I never got to fully live my childhood because I was so busy trying to be an adult.'"

Maybe that's the conversation we should be having about education – not just what skills and knowledge our children acquire, but who they become in the process.

📊 TREND

THE MICRO-COMMUNITY MOVEMENT: EDUCATION BEYOND WALLS

While some dream of disrupting education with AI and virtual reality, Eleyah Knight had a different idea: a 14-passenger van.

"I decided I'm going to buy a van and I'm going to make an adventure school,” she explains in the latest

Her "Connected Teens" mobile microschool redefines what a classroom looks like for teens between the ages of 12 and 18. The weekly schedule reads like a choose-your-own-adventure book:

Mondays: Cooking, nutrition, and natural medicine (plus PE)
Tuesdays: Coding and theater
Fridays: Guest workshops and field trips based on student interests

But Eleyah's story is part of something much bigger – the educational micro-community movement that's growing 220% faster than any other educational model. Across the country, families are creating powerful learning environments outside traditional classrooms:

• Nature schools in public parks in Utah

• Kitchen-table co-ops among neighborhood families

• Specialized passion-based learning groups like Surf Skate Science in Florida

You don't need a van (or a teaching credential) to be part of this movement. Want to learn more about creating your own educational micro-community?

 Read our guide: "How to Create a Thriving Educational Micro-Community” →

🔨 TOOL

5 RESOURCES TO START YOUR OWN

MICRO-COMMUNITY

The barrier to creating meaningful educational alternatives has never been lower. Here are 5 resources making it possible for everyday people to reimagine education:

Prenda provides everything you need to run a K-8 microschool: curriculum, management tools, and financial services. In states with Education Savings Accounts, Prenda can make starting your micro-community accessible, with minimal out-of-pocket costs.

Primer helps educators launch microschools through their Leader Fellowship program, handling regulatory approvals, leasing, and operations while providing proprietary software and a monthly stipend.

Omella handles the practical side with tools for managing tuition, digital forms, and administrative tasks – letting you focus on teaching rather than paperwork.

VELA Education Fund offers grants from $2,500 to $25,000 for everyday education entrepreneurs creating innovative programs outside traditional systems.

LiberatED Podcast hosted by Kerry McDonald features interviews with educational innovators across the spectrum; perfect for exploring different models and finding inspiration for your own micro-community.

(MEME) OF THE DAY

That’s all for today! See you tomorrow.

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

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